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February 15, 2017

Apple pipped Samsung to emerge as top smartphone vendor in the world with sale of 77038 thousand units compared to 76782 sold by Samsung in the last quarter of 2016

Apple toppled Samsung as the number one global smartphone player with 17.9% marketshare in last quarter according to Gartner . The Q4,2016 October-December quarter of last year saw a 7 percent year-on-year growth in smartphone sales, with overall sales reaching 432 million smartphone units . However For 2016 overall, smartphone sales totaled nearly 1.5 billion units, an increase of 5 percent from 2015. Last Quarter saw Samsung finish second with a market share of 17.8 percent, just trailing Apple's 17.9% marketshare .However the difference between Apple and Samsung was too small for comfort with Apple just ahead by a marginal 0.1%

"This is the second consecutive quarter in which Samsung has delivered falling quarterly smartphone sales. Samsung's smartphone sales declined 8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016 and its share dropped by 2.9 percentage points year on year,"

Samsung's smartphone sales started to drop in the third quarter of 2016, and the decision to discontinue the Galaxy Note 7 slowed down sales of its smartphone portfolio in the fourth quarter, he added.
Besides, Samsung is also facing growing competition in the mid-tier and entry-level smartphone segments from Huawei, Oppo, BBK and Gionee, which all saw their sales growing.The chinese invasion included smartphone brands like Huawei, Oppo and BBK which accounted for 9.5 percent, 6.2% and 6.2% of smartphones sold to end users worldwide during the fourth quarter of 2016, respectively.

It has taken eight quarters for Apple to regain the No 1 global smartphone vendor ranking, but the positions of the two leaders have never been so close, with a difference of only 256,000 units. "The last time Apple was in the leading position was in the fourth quarter of 2014, when its sales were driven by its first ever large-screen iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.